Important COVID-19 information from The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning countries and restriction on freedom of movement requirements for passengers
CIOR (Confédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve) is the Inter-allied Confederation of Reserve Officers. It consists of NATO member states and other participating nations with 34 countries in total, representing 1.3 million reservists. CIOR is the world’s largest military reserve officers’ organization.
The largest annual meeting of CIOR is held each summer in a different country and is organized by a separate member of CIOR each year; in 2017, the Congress was held in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2018 Quebec, Canada, in 2019 Tallinn, Estonia.
In 2020 Congress will be reduced in size and later than usual due to the prevailing situation in the world. Late Summer Congress will be hosted by Estonia in its capital of Tallinn. Also for the first time CISOR will hold, in conjunction with LSC20, its Central Committee meeting with committees working sessions, workshops and most importantly Flag Handover Ceremony.
Program: congresses will have CIOR Council and CISOR Central Committee meetings, various committee meetings and working groups. There will also be other activities such as CIMIC exercises (CIMEX), Young Reserve Officers Workshop (YROW), Reserve Officers Workshop (ROW), CYBER Workshop, MEDICAL Workshop, Congress Symposium and CISOR Flag Handover Ceremony.
Participants’ accommodations are available at several hotels in Tallinn. The main hotel being the Park Inn by Radisson Meriton for CIOR committees, YROW, ROW and CYBER and the Unique Centennial Hotel for CISOR CC. Congress rooms are also available at the Unique von Stackelberg Hotel and the Unique Kreutzwald Hotel , all in the downtown area of Tallinn.
The opening ceremony of the Congress is on Sunday September 27th at 16:00 at the Freedom square, followed by a reception underneath the Freedom square rooms at 16:15.
The Congress Symposium – CIOR is co-sponsoring with the International Centre for Defence & Security, the Annual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD).
The Closing dinner will take place on Thursday October 1st at 19:00, which will officially close the CIOR 2020 Late Summer Congress in Tallinn, Estonia.
CISOR (Confédération Interalliée des Sous-Officiers de Réserve) is a standalone organisation founded in 1963 that represents the reserve non-commissioned officers reserves from its member countries. In 2019 it signed a formal MOU with CIOR to look at joint initiatives such as MILCOM, leadership and virtual learning where the content has sufficient overlap and economies of scale can be made. The CISOR President and his VPs may attend the CIOR Congress and be invited to other events in order to foster relations and plan joint activity. CISOR currently has 14 member countries.
The Central Committee is the highest authority in CISOR. 2020 Central Committee meeting is held in Tallinn Estonia in conjunction with CIOR largest annual meeting, Summer Congress. 2020 is also importand year for CISOR because CISOR presidency will be handed over from Belgium to Switzerland.
EROA The Estonian Reserve Officers’ Association was founded on June 22 1997 by participants of the first two voluntary reserve officers training courses held at the Battle School of the Defence Forces in Meegomäe, Võru County. The driving force bringing the volunteers together was their common concern for Estonia’s national security and the need to improve the will of defence of the nation.
EROA has been a member of CIOR since 1999 and has been representing Estonian military reservists at the CIOR annual conference since that time. The conference is attended on the average by approximately five hundred reservists with delegations of member countries of CIOR.
EROA has been a member of CISOR since 2017 as associate member and since 2019 as full member.
Admirals, Generals and Fellow Officers of CIOR,
This is almost certainly the most challenging Congress that our Confederation has ever held as the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to affect so many countries including many of our member nations. In these circumstances I wish a particularly warm welcome to those who are joining us in Tallinn and I want to pay a special thank you to our Joint Presidency Team from Estonia who have worked so hard to ensure this event could take place, and to ensure it is safe.
I am very pleased to welcome once again our colleagues from CISOR: last year here in Tallinn we signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Confederations and there is every sign, as demonstrated by their presence here once again, that the two Confederations are drawing closer and I have no doubt we will continue to benefit from a growing level of cooperation and understanding.
For probably the first time as a consequence of COVID-19 our colleagues from CIOMR have, for understandable reasons given the very high level of involvement their members have had on the front line during the crisis, chosen not to hold a Congress this year, but some of their members will be joining us for a workshop principally on the subject of COVID-19. I know too that some of our members who are adversely affected by the crisis or whose national or Defence regulations do not permit them to attend but who would otherwise be with us are planning to join in a virtual form during the Late Summer Congress. We first trialled this new way of working in July at the In Between Meeting with considerable success, and we have now extended this facility with Streaming so that they might feel they are really engaged in and participating in the main Congress events.
Whilst this might seem a very negative start to the Congress it is not: the use of technology, the determination of many to actually participate and our attitude as military personnel to overcome these challenges says a great deal for the attitude and determination that Reservists bring to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation of which we are proud to be a part. We have seen many thousands of Reservists mobilised in support of their national response to COVID-19, in most cases at very short notice, and this illustrates just how much Reservists can contribute to their nation’s resilience, and indicates how ready and willing Reservists are to respond to the call, in whatever emergency it might be.
This meeting also draws to a close the UK and Estonian Joint Presidency which has proven the concept of two nations of like mind holding the Presidency of CIOR. In the evening of Thursday 1 October 2020 we will pass the CIOR Flag to our successors from Germany to whom we wish every success.
Christopher Argent
Colonel(R)
President
Confederation Interalliee des Officiers de Reserve / Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers
Fellow non-commissoned officers of CISOR,
This year has been one of the most challenging one, since the foundation of CISOR 57 years ago. It is also clear that the uncertain times are not over yet as the world is preparing for the coming of the second wave of COVID-19.
Nevertheless I am glad to welcome all of you to the congress in Tallinn. It is significant for several reasons: First of all the Belgian presidency of CISOR is coming to its end and will be handed over to Switzerland, who I am sure will lead our organisation victoriously through the uncertain times for the next two years. Secondly during this congress the new general secretary will step into office. He was elected during the last central committee meeting in Copenhagen in March, 2020. And last but not least, this will be the first joint congress of CISOR and CIOR as both organisations signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding in Tallinn a year ago.
I am looking forward to meeting all of you in Tallinn and showing the world that the non-commissioned officers are not only the backbone of the military, but also essential workers in their field of civilian profession.
Adjudant Michel d’Alessandro.
President
Confédération Interalliée des Sous-Officiers de Réserve/Interallied Confederation of Reserve Non-Commissioned Officers
Admirals, Generals and participants of Late Summer Congress 2020
On behalf of the Reserve Officers of the Republic of Estonia, I am very honored that on these uncertain times, Colonel Christopher Argent, the President of CIOR decided not to cancel this year’s Summer Congress but instead trusted Estonia to host the largest annual event of CIOR once again.
Covid19 has brought a new reality that sets unexpected constraints but also opens new opportunities. It has made us as organizers and you as participants come out of our comfort zones and find new ways to keep CIOR united and strong.
We are happy to receive those of you who can come and have decide to participate and we have taken all the possible measures to make this Congress as safe as possible. For those who, due to travel restrictions, can not attend, we have made thorough preparations so you can still be part of the Congress via virtual means.
We await you in late September and early October 2020, and expect to see around 200 participants but hear from 200 more over a video bridge.
This year will also bring two completely new events to the Congress. First time ever we introduce to you ROW – Reserve Officers Workshop which is like continuation to YROW. It is designed to provide an introduction to working in Staff Officer appointments within a Multi-National Headquarters environment. The other new event this year is CYBER witch is held in The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn with the world top specialist in the field of cyber defence.
Even thou the Congress was in Tallinn last year, there is still more to this city and I hope you will find the time to explore it again and find new interesting people, experiences, foods and culture.
I look forward to meeting you or hearing from you this summer and on behalf of all of the organizers – welcome you to Estonia and Late Summer Congress 2020 in Tallinn.
Lieutenant colonel Toomas Luman
Vice-president of CIOR, Chairman of the Supervisory Council of EROA